Aliyah Gustafson Earns MAC’s Most Outstanding Field Performance Honor

May 12, 2018 | Women's Track and Field

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

Buffalo, N.Y. – Bowling Green State University redshirt senior Aliyah Gustafson was named the Mid-American Conference's Most Outstanding Field Performance award winner following the conclusion of the MAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships Saturday. Gustafson won the shot put, placed third in the discus and finished fourth in the hammer throw to score 21 points for the Falcons.

Gustafson, in fact, broke the school record in the shot put and recorded the second-best mark in MAC Championship history by throwing 57-feet-5.75 (17.52m) Friday. That distance ranks eighth in the country heading into NCAA regionals in two weeks.

It is the third time in the past six years that a Bowling Green thrower has been named the MAC's Most Outstanding Field Performer. Brooke Pleger won the award in both 2013 and 2015 after winning the MAC Championship in the hammer throw.

"You couldn't ask for any more from Aliyah in the shot put," BGSU Track & Field Coach Lou Snelling said. "We didn't see a lot of PRs or season bests in the throws this week, so that says a lot about the consistency with which she is throwing right now. Hopefully that means some big things for her over the next month."

Gustafson has won three MAC Championships in the shot put during her career, including both the indoor and outdoor titles in 2018. She also won the outdoor MAC Championship in 2016. After both of her previous MAC titles, she qualified for the NCAA national championships.

While official qualifiers for the NCAA East Region preliminary round will not be announced for a few days, Gustafson is expected to qualify in all three events she competed in at the MAC Championships. That competition takes place May 24-26 in Tampa, Fla.

Aliyah Gustafson named the MAC Outstanding Field Performer of the Year!

?? Shot put
?? Discus
?? Hammer (4th place) pic.twitter.com/tVvu1ilGeQ
— BGSU XC/Track (@BG_XCTrack) May 12, 2018